Former president Khaltmaagiin Battulga is once again stirring the Mongolian steppe. His “Blue Banner of Blue Mongolia” rallies are more than colourful displays; they are calculated manoeuvres in a political landscape beset by resource nationalism and presidential ambitions.
Battulga, whose 2017 "Mongol Will Win" campaign capitalized on widespread discontent over corruption and foreign interference, now rebrands his populism.
His latest initiative—demanding that 34–50% of Mongolia's natural resource revenues be directly distributed to citizens in accordance with the law—appears to support PM Oyun-Erdene's proposal of distributing dividends through a new sovereign wealth fund, yet there are subtle differences in their approaches.